A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO HISTORICAL FICTION // book recommendations throughout history 💫📚

A beginner's guide to historical fiction - everything you need to know (plus lots of great book recommendations!)

Huge thanks to The History Quill for sponsoring today's video! NOTE 18.01.24 - The History Quill no longer offer their book club service. Sorry about that! For lots of historical fiction recommendations, please check the recs in this video, plus the hundreds of amazing comments from viewers ☺️

TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Intro
0:50 {AD} The History Quill Book Club
01:51 What is historical fiction?
05:13 Key Tropes, Themes and Subgenres
08:14 Book Recommendations For Every Era

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♔ LINKS ♔

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📖 books mentioned (affiliate links used)

ANCIENT ERA (PRE 500 AD)

MIDDLE AGES (500 AD - 1500)

EARLY MODERN PERIOD (1500 - 1760)

INDUSTRIAL ERA (1760 - 1840)

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📸 videos mentioned

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✰ A part of this video is sponsored by The History Quill Book Club. Thanks for your support! ✰T

[zpaz]

Historical fiction is my fav genre. I love stories that are set in the ancient era. My fav books are set in ancient Egypt and ancient Israel! I'm writing this comment bc you asked for non western recommendations, so here are some:

Ancient Israel:
Chronicles of the Kings series by Lynn Austin
The Restoration Chronicles series by Lynn Austin (situated in Babylon and Israel).
Out From Egypt by Connilyn Cossette
Cities of Refuge series by Connilyn Cossette
The Silent Years series by Angela Hunt (book 1 is stationed in Egypt and Italy. The rest of the series is in Israel.)
The Empress of Rome series by Kate Quinn (situated in Rome and Israel.)


Ancient Egypt:
Egyptian Royals series by Michelle Moran
The Lost Pharaoh Chronicles series by Lauren Lee Merewether (also has a Prequel and sequel series which I highly recommend reading as well.)
Sphinx's Princess by Esther Friesner
Novel of Cleopatra's Daughter series by Stephanie Dray (mainly based in Rome but incorporates Egyptian history.)
Daughter of the Gods by Stephanie Thornton


BONUS:

Ancient Persia (Iran):
Harvest of Rubies by Tessa Afshar
Esther by Angela Hunt

[nickymatthews]

I am really getting into historical fiction. it seems we can learn so much from the past and realise that we keep going round, nothing really changes. Fascinating.

[annalisawillette]

It’s quite the hefty book, but I LOVED Margaret George’s Memoirs of Cleopatra. Very detailed, very engaging and starts out with Cleopatra as a child and goes all throughout her life :)

[oerbgoj]

I like that you went in depth before giving the historical fiction recommendations!!! Loved this! I am inspired to pick up some more historical fiction now :D

[ashleyg]

My first historical fiction book was The Kite Runner and I really enjoyed it

[susanjimenez]

I just discovered your channel, and I loved this video! Subscribed, of course, and now I’m going to go through and watch others from the past.

I don’t know how ‘official’ these are in terms of historical fiction, but they for the bill for me, and I really loved them. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (on my Top 5 all-time favorite books list), The Red Tent, and several of James Michener’s novels - starting with The Source.

[duffypratt]

Alexandre Dumas wrote great historical novels. The D’Artagnan Romances and Queen Margot are especially good.
Romala by George Eliot is interesting, set in Renaissance Florence.
Dorothy Dunnett is great in the Lymond Chronicles, set in Elizabethan times. The House of Nicollo series is again in Medici Florence.
The Hangman’s Daughter is an interesting mystery series set in Germany after the Thirty Years War.
A good recent one is All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, set in WW2 Germany and France.
And if you are up for some rewarding work, give Mason & Dixon a try, a novel about the surveyors who established the MasonDixon line, by Thomas Pynchon. Or Gravity’s Rainbow, another WW2 novel which I count as historical since Pynchon was only 8 when the war ended.

[silolis]

A couple of recommendations .."This Thing of Darkness" by Harry Thompson set around the 1830-50 based on the Voyage of The Beagle and its aftermath with the ship's captain Robert Fitzroy and Charles Darwin as the main protagonists.
Also "Strumpet City: by James Plunkett is set in Pre First World War Dublin. Story based on the industrial dispute known as the Dublin Lockout and how the various people in different classes were effected.

[menonpooja]

I love Lisa See's books. Highly recommend them!

[marianacaffaro]

The Girl With the Pearl Earring (T Chevalier), Picture Maker (Penina Keen Spinka), The Tenth Gift (Jane Johnson)

[annapap]

You are a fantastic speaker! Thank you for such insightful book descriptions and also the list you included below the video.. I love historical fiction, and you are giving a very interesting list here so I will read some of your recommended books.

[miguelgualdron]

Thank you for the great recommendations.
You may enjoy Sharon Kay Penman’s book on Richard III, “The Sunne in Splendour”, or her 5 book Plantagenet series starting with “When Christ and His Saints Slept”. I got into this time period because of “Pillars of the Earth”.

[butterflycucumbers]

I’m obsessed with Ancient Rome, such a freak show, so brutal. I found an author called Lindsey Davis. I got The Jupiter Myth. It’s a murder mystery set in Roman occupied Britain. I also watched a lot of movies set in Ancient Rome, they’re amazing, can’t remember what they’re called anymore. I also loved Conn Igguldens Wolf of The Plains trilogy which is about Ghengis Khan. ❤😊

[Ohsnapitzann]

I love reading historical fiction that involves drama and fastasy themes it's very interesting and you can learn a good lesson behind it.

[dianaconcepcion]

I know I’m a bit late 😅 But thank you much for making these recommendations based on historical era! I’ve been struggling to find YouTube videos of historical book recommendations that aren’t ww2 books. My favorite eras to read is ancient and medieval, so I’ll definitely be looking into the ones you mentioned (I love The Song of Achilles 🥲) I recently read this book called Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn and I devoured it. It takes place in Ancient Rome and the main plot focuses on a romance between a Jewish slave girl and a gladiator from Britannia. I recommend it! I’m waiting for the third book in the mail haha Anyway, thanks again 😊

[tessvarlack]

I love the book Snowflower and the Secret Fan by: Lisa See, based in 19th century China. Such a good book!!! Also, the book called The Red Tent by: Anita Diamant. It’s a story following Jacob’s daughter, Dinah, and telling the story of Jacob’s wives. It’s one of my favorites and a really interesting take on biblical characters who are only mentioned in the biblical narrative.

[dave_dhannoo]

Good choices on Middle Ages, my kind of setting for a historical novel.

[zeevausman]

I couldn't resist suggesting you this historical fiction novel as I was watching your video: (The Thief, the Harlot, and the Healer) My favorite genre is historical fiction.

[sarahbojorquezlopez]

Great list! I would add The Goodwife of Bath in the Middle ages.

[doug]

For Ancient Historical Fiction, try Steven Saylor's "Roma Sub Rosa" series and SJA Turney's "Marius' Mules" series.